


come on baby, dry your eyes (ain't it good to be alive?)

by thisrighteousland



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Drunk Lena Luthor, F/F, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 11:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisrighteousland/pseuds/thisrighteousland
Summary: Kara Danvers startles from her work when her (formerly quiet) upstairs neighbour starts blasting 70's music. When she goes up to complain, she finds Lena Luthor in a puddle of alcohol and tears.ORKara takes care of Lena, and a friendship ensues.





	come on baby, dry your eyes (ain't it good to be alive?)

**Author's Note:**

> hi, this is my first fic and i have no idea what i'm doing. english isn't my first language and i don't have a beta so all mistakes are mine! hope you enjoy lol

Kara checked the time on her microwave for the umpteenth time this evening. She had been begging Snapper for a big story all month, and right when she got the chance to write one, she was stricken with a writer’s block of massive proportion. The article was due the next morning, so Kara decided to start typing and see where it would take her. It went surprisingly easy, she had noticed, but time was ticking by faster than she expected, and she still wanted to watch the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy before going to bed. Just when she felt like she was on a roll, a sudden burst of loud music startled her. The content of her puppy-themed teacup she was just bringing to her lips spilled over the table, missing her laptop by a hair as she swiped it off the table at super-speed.

“Shit,” she mumbled, hurrying to clean the hot tea off the table. She threw a confused look at the ceiling, where the noise was coming from, trying to piece together what was happening. Her upstairs neighbour, who lived in the penthouse of her apartment block, was a mystery to her and most of the other apartment residents. Kara used to think no one actually lived there, that it was just a get-away loft for some rich business tycoon to take his mistresses, until she met the dark-haired woman in the elevator, about four years after she moved in. The meeting had been very formal, just a polite nod in reply to Kara’s enthusiastic greeting. Kara knew nothing about this woman, except for the name on her letterbox: L. Luthor. They had met each other in the hallway only once more after that, and again the woman had only nodded diplomatically before rushing into the elevator.

And right now, there was definitely loud music coming from L. Luthor’s apartment. Kara could hardly believe what she was hearing: there had barely been a noise for the past four years, not even the sound of something falling over or the clacking of heels she had seen the woman wear on the occasions they had met. Kara was confused, but mostly irritated. She had to finish this stupid article, goddamn it.

She sighed heavily, as if the woman would be able to hear her and tone the music down. As she threw the used paper towels away, she recognized the raspy voice of Janis Joplin singing “Cry Baby”. It wasn’t exactly Kara’s favourite type of music, and most annoying of all, she couldn’t concentrate on her article through the bombastic chorus. When the song ended, Kara relaxed again for about 4 seconds, until another song exploded into her apartment. She groaned loudly and got up from her chair. She was going to tell this woman that this was not acceptable.

As she left her apartment for the elevator, she heard the music blasting through the hallway as well. Ava, her only next-door neighbour, had left on vacation just a day earlier, so she wouldn’t be bothered by the noise. Kara wondered if the people living under her would hear it too. She was afraid the people would think it was her violating house rules, something she would never do, because L. Luthor causing such a commotion was a never-before-seen (or heard of) phenomenon.

When the elevator doors opened, Kara had to press her hands against her ears to prevent going deaf. The fact that her senses were extremely heightened compared to humans made it even harder to stand the noise. The reporter lifted one hand from her ears to start banging on the door, when she noticed it was ajar. Curious, she pushed inside, only to find L. Luthor on the floor, a glass of red wine in one hand, a couple of photos in the other. In a one metre-radius around her, Kara spotted an empty bottle of scotch, another empty bottle of wine, and about twelve Polaroid pictures strewn across the marble floor. The dark-haired woman herself sat in the middle, head in her hands, her shoulders moving up and down faintly. All the while, the music kept blasting loudly, playing “Angie” by The Rolling Stones.

Kara felt awkward, even more so because Lena hadn’t even noticed her coming in. She could still go back, she thought, she could pretend that this had never happened and try to work her way through the article with some type of noise cancelling device on her head. But her natural urge to help people was too strong, so she cleared her throat faintly to get L. Luthor’s attention.

The dark-haired woman lifted her head slowly, obviously intoxicated. Her eyes were red, and Kara noticed she had trouble focussing on the unexpected visitor in her apartment.

“What?” she spat out, her head lolling from one side to another. “You here to complain? Be my guest and turn it down, but just get out after.”

Kara opened and quickly shut her mouth. She kind of wanted to do exactly what the woman had just said, so she could just get back inside her own apartment and finish up her work. Still deciding what to do, she walked up to the stereo to at least turn down the music, and she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander over the photographs. In them was a boy with the same dark hair as the woman, at various ages between around twelve and eighteen years old.

Kara switched off the stereo and breathed in deeply, making a decision. She couldn’t walk away from the distressed woman – that’s not who she is.

Gently, she picked up the empty bottles and eased the glass of wine from the woman’s hand, and put them on the white marble counter in the kitchen. As she manoeuvred her way through the extensive loft, she noticed the lack of personal decorations. Almost everything in the apartment felt impersonal, except for a bunch of opened envelops and one letter strewn across the kitchen island. Kara squinted a little and was able to make out ‘Dear Miss Lena Luthor’ at the top of the page.

Lena. What a pretty name, Kara thought. She threw her head over her shoulder to watch Lena again, and saw she returned to the position Kara had found her in. Slowly, Kara walked up to her and squatted, coming down to eye-level.

“Hey,” she tried quietly, still figuring out how to approach the other woman without alarming her. When no reaction came, Kara put a tentative hand on Lena’s shaking shoulder.

“Hey,” she repeated. Lena lifted her head, looking Kara dead in the eye. Her green irises, filled with a mixture of fury and heartbreak, unsettled Kara a little. She had no idea what was happening, feeling more uncomfortable every second she spent in the apartment, but the impulse to comfort was stronger than her uneasiness.

Recalling the days she used to find her sister in this state, Kara decided that the only thing she could do right now was to get Lena out of this situation and into her bed. If she wanted to talk, it would be better to do so in the morning, or any other time after she had slept a couple of hours and sobered up a little. After all, Kara was just as much a stranger to Lena as vice versa, and Kara imagined that a woman of a certain status would appreciate some discretion on moments like these. Kara decided that she would try to let her keep her dignity; it’s probably what she would want too, if she were in a situation like this, if she could get drunk as easily as humans.

“Come on,” Kara said, a lopsided smile on her face as she grasped Lena’s hands and pulled her up with her, “Let’s get you up off the floor. Can you show me where your bedroom is?”

Lena only shrugged, letting herself get dragged up from the ground and into a standing position. Kara sighed inwardly. If Lena would work with her a little, this would all be over a lot quicker, for the both of them.

“Lena – Lena, is it?” Lena nodded once. “Lena, I am here to help you. We’re going to get you to bed, so you can get some rest, and tomorrow, I’ll come and check if you’re okay. Does that work for you?”

The dark-haired woman wobbled her head around, and Kara suspected it to be an attempt at nodding. She threw Lena’s arm around her own shoulder, keeping her upright as she started to slip, the marble not providing a lot of grip for the white socks the woman was wearing. Kara heard her starting to sniffle again, and she tried to soothe Lena by whispering little reassurances, not sure if she was even listening.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena whispered back suddenly, and Kara could hear the strain in her voice.

“Don’t – it’s okay. We’re just gonna go to bed now, and sleep. You can apologize to me in the morning,” she added with a light chuckle, trying to lift the mood a little, if only for herself. “Now, could you show me the bedroom, please?” she repeated, as she tried to guide herself through the apartment.

Lena pointed at the door closest to them and Kara couldn’t help it when a silent ‘oh, thank god’ slipped from her lips. Lena was slumping heavily on her, her full weight thrown over Kara’s neck, but the alien was able to carry her as if it was nothing. Not that Lena noticed – she probably wouldn’t have questioned it if Kara had straight up carried her to bed.

Pushing the door open with her foot, Kara led Lena inside her bedroom. Again, there was a striking absence of personal belongings, creating an almost office-like atmosphere. Everything in the room was white, except for a tall, black wardrobe opposite the bed. She gently lowered Lena onto her mattress, wondering if she would want Kara to help her into her pyjamas. She shook the thought quickly, though – Lena probably wouldn’t appreciate a total stranger undressing her when she was in this state, unable to voice any objections.

As Lena hoisted herself upwards, with her back against the headboard, Kara drew the white curtains and flicked on the bedside lamp. She glanced up at Lena, who was studying her intensely. Kara felt herself blush a little under the scrutinizing stare, ducking her head again.

“Who are you?” Lena asked, her tone perplexed, as if Kara was a magical fairy come to save her. Kara smiled warmly.

“My name is Kara. I live in the apartment one floor down. I came here to complain about the music,” she explained. Lena absorbed the information wide-eyed, and Kara wondered if she remembered that they had met two times already. “Kara,” Lena said, trying the feel of her name in her mouth.

“Kara. Kara, my guardian angel,” she chuckled, and the sound was immediately followed by a sob. “I’m so sorry, I swear-”

“Shh,” Kara soothed again, “it’s okay. Just lie down and close your eyes. I’ll be back tomorrow and you can tell me then.”

“You’re not staying?” Lena asked softly as she slithered down, on top of her sheets.

“Umm… I still have some work that I have to finish up, actually. But I promise you will see me again tomorrow, first thing.”

Lena pouted, her eyes drooping, and for the first time, Kara noticed that she was kind of adorable. But she couldn’t just sleep over, not like this – Lena would wake up in the morning and freak out, probably. And, shit, she still had to finish that dumb article too.

“Okay, I’m gonna go back to mine now, is that okay?” Kara said softly. Lena nodded ever so slightly, her eyes already closed and her breathing starting to even out. Kara heard her heartbeat slowing down and decided it was a good time to leave the room. After switching off the nightlight, she tiptoed out the door, whispering ‘bye’ to nothing in particular.

When the door closed behind her, she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. She looked around the living room once more, deciding to leave the photographs on the floor. They were the only thing that proved someone actually lived in this apartment, instead of it just being a show house, which gave them a sacred sort of vibe, and Kara didn’t dare touch them.

So instead, she left Lena’s apartment, closing the door behind her. As she took the elevator back down to her own studio, a million thoughts raced through her head all at once. Kara prepared a new cup of tea to try and clear her head, so she could focus on the article again. She positioned herself in front of her laptop, fingers at her keyboard, but her mind kept wandering.

Tomorrow morning, she would go back to Lena’s apartment. Not too early, of course – Lena could probably use some sleep, and her hangover would be a little less terrible the longer she slept. But not too late, either, because she would only torment herself more the longer she had to wait. She already felt nervous about whatever conversation they were about to have in the distant future – every extra hour would multiple that feeling tenfold, probably.

Kara sighed into her cup. She wouldn’t be able to finish this article now – she was too distracted. She e-mailed Snapper that she was ill, struck with food poisoning or something contagious, so that he would rather not have her in his vicinity instead of sending her an all-caps reply about how she could still make it to work with a cold if there was even an _ounce_ of dedication in her. She shut down her laptop and slipped inside her pyjamas, readying herself to get into bed.

Her head hit her pillow and she closed her eyes. Like every time before bed, she tried to recount her day. It was a trick Eliza had taught her, which helped to prevent the nightmares she had during her first few years on Earth. But right now, there was only one person she could think of.

Lena Luthor.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @llenalvthor


End file.
